Arista

The arista is a large bristle attached to the front part of the antennae in some species of true fly (Order Diptera).

The arista is attached to the third segment of the antenna. It performs a sensory function and may be thread-like or have lots of side projections making it look rather feathery.

A close-up photograph of the head of a fly showing the arista attached to the antennae.
Photograph by Carlos Franquinho licensed under Creative Commons.

Related terms

• Antenna
• Diptera
• Head

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

Related pages on this web site

• True flies - Order Diptera

See other words beginning with A